Heliscomyidae
| Heliscomyidae Fossil range: Middle Eocene to Early Miocene |
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†Apletotomeus |
Heliscomyidae is a family of extinct rodents from the mid-Tertiary of North America related to pocket gophers (family Geomyidae) and kangaroo rats and their relatives (family Heteromyidae). The family contains two genera, †Apletotomeus and †Heliscomys. McKenna and Bell (1997) place these genera in synonymy, with Heliscomys the senior synonym.
Characteristics
Heliscomyids are distinguished from other geomyoid rodents by several characteristics of the skull including fusion of three cranial foramina, elongation of the incisive foramina, and an unusual position of the mental foramen (Korth et al., 1991).
Taxonomy
Heliscomyidae is a member of the clade Geomyoidea, a group of rodents that also includes the families †Eomyidae, †Florentiamyidae, Heteromyidae, and Geomyidae. The following cladogram showing interrelationships among geomyoid families follows Korth et al. (1991):
| Geomyoidea |
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References
- Korth, W.W., J.H. Wahlert, and R.J. Emry, 1991. A new species of Heliscomys and recognition of the family Heliscomyidae (Geomyoidea: Rodentia) Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 11(2):247-256.
- McKenna, Malcolm C., and Bell, Susan K. 1997. Classification of Mammals Above the Species Level. Columbia University Press, New York, 631 pp. ISBN 0-231-11013-8
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